


Empty (short story) (Completed)

by ifeellikeadam



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Other, micheal!dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-06 05:41:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17339606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifeellikeadam/pseuds/ifeellikeadam
Summary: This takes place after the season 13 finale of Supernatural. *SPOILER ALERT*With Dean gone, Castiel has to learn how to  go on without him. This fic explores the struggle of losing someone you care about, whether that is a brother, a best friend, or something more.





	1. So He Waited

Cas sat in the back of the Impala. He stared out the front window, rain falling on the windshield and blurring his view. Sam was sleeping. He sat by himself in the silence of the motel parking lot. Sometimes he would sit by himself and think. The smell of leather and gasoline filled his head as he took a deep breath in. The neon sign from the bar down the street reflected red onto the black pavement outside.

Deans not dead. Deans just gone. He'll come back. He always comes back.

Cas sat in the empty car in an empty parking lot. The sky didn't hold any stars, he wished his head didn't hold any thoughts. He wished he could be back in the empty, the void. He wished he had never woken up. Jack needed him. Sam needed him. He needed Dean.

Please. Please give him back.

Cas called out on angel radio. He didn't know if Michael could hear him or not, but it wouldn't keep him from trying. Music drifted through the air and swirled around the parking lot. Cas could only catch a few snippets of the song, but the melody was familiar and comforting. He knew it from the mixtape Dean had made him. Cas didn't need to sleep, but he still laid down on the cold leather seats. He closed his eyes, and waited.


	2. Then Sam Came

He opened his eyes when he heard the car door open. This time light poured in through the dirty windows. Sam got in and started the car. He went to adjust the rear-view mirror and jumped when he saw Cas.

"Jesus," Sam said as he turned around to face Cas. "You gotta let me know when you're behind me."

"Sorry," Cas muttered.

"Dude, you can sit in the front if you want," Sam said as he started the car.

"Habit, I guess."

Sam always sat in front, and Dean would drive. The back seat was where he belonged. His place in the family. He could watch over Sam and Dean from there. He could always see them and keep them safe. But now he didn't have to watch over Dean. Now there was nothing he could do the keep Dean safe. Cas moved to the front seat and Sam started down the backroads out of town.

"We need to go get Jack from the bunker. We shouldn't have left him," Sam started.

Cas stared out the window, watching the trees go by. He saw a bee whizz past. Any other day and it would have made him smile. Now all he could think about is how much time he had wasted looking at bees. Time he should have spent making sure his family was safe.

"Cas? You alright?" Sam asked, snapping Cas out of his daydream.

"Yeah, sorry. You're right, we should go get Jack."

"Okay. Yeah, uh, right. Let's start there." Sam looked over at Cas with concern. He could tell Cas wasn't doing to good. Hell, neither was he. Dean was gone. It's not like he was dead. If only, you can bring back the dead. Dean was trapped. His own personal cage. How did Cas describe it? Strapped to a meteor. Perfect.

They drove in silence, Cas staring out the window the whole five-hour drive back to the bunker. They had been out on a lead. Someone had seen Dean, er, Micheal walking around and called it in. They recognized him from that time he was a serial killer. Back when things were simpler and you could pinpoint the bad guys. Sam craved to go back to the time when it was just him and Dean. Back when they actually saved people. Now it seemed like everyone they tried to save ended up hurt or dead.


	3. But there was still Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of this short story.

They pulled up the gravel road to the bunker. Jack was waiting inside for them when they got there. He smiled as Sam and Cas walked in, even though his eyes were red. Sam couldn't tell if it was from tears or lack of sleep. Jack didn't have to sleep much, but he hadn't slept at all since Dean -- Michael left. Jack spent all night and most of the day buried in research. He was convinced that he could find a spell to expel Michael. Jack thought it was his fault Dean was gone. He's the one who trusted Lucifer. He's the one who opened the first rift.

"It's not your fault. You're a kid, and it was Dean's choice to say yes." Sam had told him. Sam always tried to keep calm around Jack, even though it was clear he was panicking. This, however, failed to cheer up Jack. Jack wasn't supposed to be a kid. Kelly said that he would have to grow up fast. Why couldn't he have just listened? Why didn't he listen to Sam and Cas when they tried to warn him about Lucifer?

Jack waited until the bunker was dark. He walked towards the garage. He doesn't want to run into Cas, who will just try to stop him. He needs to get away before he can hurt anyone else. He won't use his powers. His grace has been recharging. It's not anywhere close to full power, but it's something. The door to the garage is silent as he swings it open. Jack makes his way through the cars before he sees the Impala. It's parked right next to the door, and Cas it sitting in the driver's seat. Jack looks closer and sees that Cas is holding Deans gun. The pearl grips flash in the moonlight that trickles in through one of the ventilation grates. Cas's eyes are empty. Heartbroken. Jack stands still for just a second too long and Cas sees him. He chuckles and Jack walks over, confused.

"Trying to leave?" Cas says, motioning to the duffle bag slung over Jacks' shoulder.

"I just don't want to hurt you. Or Sam," Jack starts, trying to explain.

Cas laughs that sick, twisted laugh of a broken man. Just the sound is enough to make Jack hurt. You can hear the pain. You can hear how much he wishes he couldn't feel anything. Cas lets his head fall against the braided leather of the steering wheel. He can feel the smooth, worn grooves where Deans hands rest when he drives.

"Jack. Did you ever think about how much you leaving will hurt Sam? Will hurt me?" Cas said. He was unusually calm given the situation. Cas was not used to feeling emotions. He remembered them from his time as a human, and the more time he spent with Sam and Dean the better he was getting at putting names to what he felt. He wasn't quite sure what this emotion was called, but he felt like there was a hole in his stomach, and his legs were weak whenever he tried to stand. He wasn't scared, and he didn't want to cry. It was like a dull ache rang through him.

Jack looked at Cas. Jack saw a man who had been through heaven and hell and survived. Jack saw a leader, and Jack saw a father. But most of all, he saw confusion and emptiness. The Cas that was always there to help and who always was ready to fight was gone. That Cas had been taken by Michael. That Cas had left with Dean. Jack opened the door to the Impala and slid into the front seat on the passenger side. He let his duffle bag fall to the ground by his feet. The zipper opened when it hit the floor and his clothes spilled out. He started to shove the clothes back into his bag. Mixed in with the shirts and pants were a few small books Sam had given him and one of Deans old guns. Cas put his hand on Jacks' shoulder. Jack sat up, tears running down his face.

"I'm so sorry," Jack whispered.

"I know."

And so they sat. They sat in the Impala in silence for hours, just breathing in the familiarity and comfort. They sat and they healed so they would be prepared for the battle that is sure to come.


End file.
